


Experience

by booboothegdfool



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alpha Echo, Alpha Octavia, Alpha Raven, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Angst, Breakups, Endgame Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Omega Clarke, Possessive Behavior, Raven Reyes sees everything, Slow Burn, Slow Burn Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, long game, time jumps
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:00:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23363587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/booboothegdfool/pseuds/booboothegdfool
Summary: Bellamy knows the moment Clarke presents as an Omega, they're meant to be together. But with a four year age difference, he also knows he has no right to claim her before she's had a chance to really experience the world. Instead, for now, he sticks to the background; a friend when she's in need, a shoulder to cry on, someone to rely on.Still, it can be hard to keep his mouth shut.[Not Rated atm because I don't know yet what will happen in future chapters. I'll change it and add a warning at the chapter's beginning should something make it a little more adult-rated.]
Relationships: Bellamy Blake & Octavia Blake, Bellamy Blake & Raven Reyes, Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, Octavia Blake & Clarke Griffin & Raven Reyes, Octavia Blake/Lincoln, Raven Reyes/Miles Ezekiel Shaw
Comments: 49
Kudos: 267





	1. Presenting

Left arm wrapped around Roma, Bellamy flips mindlessly through the channels with the remote in his right. The two have been dating for about a month now, having met a little less than a year ago at the Arkadia University Bellamy enrolled in. It hadn’t been his first choice, but with Octavia still in high school and no one to look after her, he can’t just up and leave to an out of state college.

It’s not a bad university, however. Not by any stretch of the imagination. And in truth, all that matters is that Bellamy can get his Master’s degree in Historical Preservation. Plus, he’d worked his ass off in school and it had paid off, earning him a full ride scholarship there. The only downside was that he did still have to keep playing football, which he had hoped to give up after high school. Keeping his grades up and kicking ass on the football team was a small price to pay to keep him from paying for school, he supposed.

Roma yawns next to him, stretching her legs out on the couch as she curls closer into Bellamy’s side. He glances down at her, his hand idling rubbing at her shoulder. He likes her well enough, but something didn’t feel right. Roma was an Omega, which Bellamy had thought meant they’d make a good pair with him being an Alpha.

But so far, their relationship had been lacking. The sex was fine and they enjoyed each other’s company, but Bellamy hadn’t felt a connection. Not a real, non-physical one anyway.

And isn’t that what they’d told him would happen when he met an Omega? They’d been told in school that on average, Omega and Alpha pairings are the most common and successful. But they’d also said that when an Alpha meets the Omega they’re supposed to be mated to, there’s an otherworldly feeling. If that’s true, Bellamy hasn’t found that in Roma.

“What’re you thinking about?” Roma asks, her head tilting back to look up at him. Her eyes, dark like his own, seem dull.

He forces a smile. “Just getting tired. ‘Bout ready to call it a night.”

Just then, the door explodes inward and Octavia rushes in with Clarke hot on her heels. They stop short at the sight of Bellamy and Roma, exchanging a quick glance.

Standing side by side, Octavia and Clarke at exactly the same height, Bellamy once realized. But that’s the beginning and end of their physical similarities. Where Octavia is slender and fit, Clarke is thicker and curvier. Octavia is dark in every way that Clarke is light. They look like polar opposites.

Bellamy arches an eye at the two of them, knowing immediately something is up. “Uh, welcome home,” he says after a beat. “You wanna explain why you almost broke my door?” A door they left open, he thinks grumpily.

“No time! Raven’s coming in after us, send her up ASAP!” Octavia shouts, grabbing Clarke’s hand and rushing up the steps. Their giggles trail down behind them.

A moment later, Raven appears in the doorway, which, Bellamy notes with distain, is still open wide. Of the three girls, Raven is the most level headed. She’s a year older than Octavia and Clarke and had presented as an Alpha the year before. He can tell she’s still struggling to figure that role out.

He doesn’t blame her. He struggled too at her age.

The younger Alpha looks to him, eyes shifting between him and Roma. She says nothing but her eyebrow arches as if to say, _This one is still here?_

Bellamy doesn’t take the bait.

“What’s got those two all excited?” He asks instead.

Raven shuts the door behind her, locking it. “Clarke’s scent shifted this morning.” Her eyes meet his as she turns back around. “She’s going to present tonight.”

Bellamy’s stomach drops, but he remains outwardly neutral. “Where’s her mom?”

Raven shrugs. “Work, most likely.” Her dark gaze looks back between him and Roma once more. “I should get up there.” She takes the stairs two at a time and he hears the three of them erupt into excited laughter as the door shuts behind her.

Roma sits up, looking up the steps with a small smile. “I remember when I presented. They’ll be up all night doing research.” She stands and stretches. He can tell she wants him to ask her to spend the night, but he doesn’t and gets to his feet as well.

“Sounds like I should stay well out of their way then.” He pulls her in for a kiss, but leads her towards the door. “Text me when you get home.”

Disappointment lingers on her face, but she doesn’t push it. “I will. Have a good night and good luck.” They kiss once more before she leaves and Bellamy stands at the front door until she gets in her car and drives off.

Closing and locking it behind him, he heads towards Octavia’s room. If the three of them are going to be up there all night giggling away, he needs to lay some ground rules. “Hey, it’s me, let me in,” he says as he stops outside O’s room. “We gotta talk.” He knocks his knuckles on the wood.

“Don’t come in, we’re changing!” Octavia cries out in annoyance. “Ugh!”

He rolls his eyes. “Fine. I’ll be back in five and everyone better be decent. Got it?”

There’s a chorus of groaned agreements and he heads to his own room to change. Thankfully, his room is on the opposite end of the hall. Meaning he won’t have to hear their laughter at full volume.

He takes his time getting into his pajamas; an old cut off tee and a pair of sleep shorts. Instead of five minutes he gives them ten, because he’s a good older brother. As he heads back down the hall, he catches a whiff of something and it stops him. It’s...sweet. Lifting his shirt, he sniffs and wonders if maybe it’s the new detergent he bought.

Nope.

Letting it drop, he knocks once at Octavia’s door and receives no reply. “I’m coming in!” He says as a warning, waiting a beat before pushing the door open.

The three of them are standing in the middle of the room. Raven and Octavia both have their back to him, while Clarke stands between them, facing him. Her eyes are blow wide, blue gazing at him without seeing. She’s covered in a sheen of sweat as she breathes heavily. Her entire body is trembling.

Octavia is holding Clarke steady, her eyes glued to her friend as the internal change takes. Raven’s nose is pressed to Clarke’s cheek, scent marking her to help her get through it. Clarke is presenting as an Omega and Bellamy can feel his body reacting.

The scent change is the most drastic, causing Bellamy to take a step back. Clarke had never had much of a scent before, though no one usually did before presenting. But now, it was overwhelming. Sweet like a warm honey, and yet fruity in a way that reminded him of cantaloupe. His mouth hangs open slightly as he breathes the new scent in deeply. It’s like heaven.

Realizing what he doing, with a great deal of difficulty, Bellamy closes the door and pretends it never happened.

Clarke is sixteen years old while Bellamy is twenty. That’s just not a road he’s going to go down, he decides with a decisive nod.

He holes himself up in his room the rest of the night and reads a book on ancient Rome pottery until he falls asleep.

-

They tell him she’s an Omega the next morning, sitting across from him at the kitchen table. They must not have ever noticed he’d been in the room. Clarke is positively beaming, she’s so excited. Her phone, Bellamy notes, has not stopped buzzing all morning. She answers a few of them, but seems content to talk to just Octavia and Raven for now. He hopes she keeps that level head of hers. He’s no expert on Omegas, but Bellamy knows enough to understand that being an Omega isn’t easy, and with them being the most rare of the three second-genders, Clarke will have her hands full.

He doesn’t say that though, and just shoves another spoonful of Froot Loops into his mouth.

“I can’t wait until I present!” Octavia says excitedly over a mouthful of Cheerios. Plain Cheerios, by the way. Who eats just plain Cheerios? “I wanna be an Omega too!”

Bellamy nearly chokes on his own tongue. He fucking hopes not. Raven is the only one who notices and she quirks a brow at him in amusement. He’s starting to detest what an observant little Alpha she’s turning into.

“Any advice Bellamy?” Clarke asks him, turning those big blue eyes at him. She trusts him, he realizes. It isn’t a trust he’s ever going to betray.

He finishes his cereal and sighs. “Unfortunately, no. I’m an Alpha, Clarke. I don’t know jack shit about being an Omega.” His smile is small, but apologetic. “Maybe you can ask Roma? She’s an Omega.”

The three girls exchange a look and roll their eyes as one. Octavia sighs heavily.

Bellamy grunts, “What the hell was that? We don’t like Roma?”

In unison, the girls speak, “We don’t like Roma.”


	2. Birthday Girl

Clarke turns eighteen and Bellamy helps her mom get their house decorated for the party.

He knows the Griffin house like the back of his hand. Octavia and him had grown up inside these walls as much as their own house. Their mother and Jake Griffin had grown up together and had stayed close friends into their adulthood. And seeing as their mother spent so much time working when they were younger, Jake always let them stay there with them because he worked from home. ‘What’s two more little beasts running around?’ He’d used to say when Aurora asked for a third time if it was okay they were there.

Clarke’s mother is frantic, wanting everything to be absolutely perfect for her little girl. She slaps Bellamy’s hand twice to stop him from stealing one of the cupcakes on the counter. Even when you think Abby isn’t paying attention, she is.

“Bellamy Blake, you try that again and I’m going to start slapping those knuckles with a spoon, you hear me?” She threatens, a smile tugging at her lips.

He looks at her for a moment. She's where Clarke got her blue eyes and blonde hair. But her face is much more slender. Though, he knows part of that has to do with her past drug use. After Jake had died, she’d spiraled hard. She’d almost lost her job. She’d almost lost Clarke.

It’d taken time, but she’d cleaned up her act, at least for her daughter’s sake. No more drugs, no more scares. Abby Griffin was six months clean and getting better every day.

“Yes ma’am,” he says with a smile. He even makes a show of holding his hands up in surrender.

She rolls her eyes and laughs. “Go find Clarke, please. Guests are going to be here soon and I want her to be down to greet them.”

He takes the order with a nod and trudges up the steps to the birthday girl’s room. He was never in there often, but he knows where it’s at. The door isn’t closed, so he peeks his head in. “Aye, you in here?” He asks.

Clarke emerges from her closet in a soft blue off shoulder summer dress. It clings to her gently, defining each curve of her frame. It makes Bellamy swallow hard. Her hair, usually left down in an intricate braid, is piled atop her head in a messy bun. If she’s wearing makeup, he can’t tell.

She smiles at him. “Bellamy, hey! M mom sent you to look for me, huh?” She shakes her head. “Sorry about that. She’s just excited about today.”

He leans his shoulder on her doorframe. Her scent is already in his nose, toying with him, tempting in. It takes everything he has in him not to walk over to her and bury his nose in those blonde waves. To inhale her into his lungs. Sink his teeth into the mating gland just below her ear. “Aren’t you? Eighteen is a big deal.”

Clarke rolls her eyes playfully. “I guess.” Her hands fidget with something and she looks down at it. “Will you help me?”

His eyebrows come together. His fingers twitch to touch her. “With what?”

She shows him what she’s holding. A silver locket. It was the last gift he father had given her. “I can’t get it on by myself. And Raven and Octavia ran out to...” Her mouth shuts quickly.

Bellamy isn’t a fool. “Use their fake IDs to get alcohol for when you all sneak out tonight?” He steps towards her with a grin. “I wasn’t always this grumpy old man, Clarke.”

Scoffing, she hands over the necklace as he approaches and turns towards her vanity. “You’re like, four years older than me, Bellamy. That’s not old.”

He lifts the chain up and over her head, bringing it down to lay at her chest. His eyes land on her cleavage and quickly look away. He focuses way too hard on the clasp and getting it done.

Bellamy is suddenly thrown by the intimacy of having her so close. They’d known each other for years, had been closer than this many of times. But this time...there’s something different. Something stronger pulling at him. He wonders if she feels it too.

In the mirror of her vanity, she catches his eye. “How do I look?” Her voice is barely above a whisper.

“Like a princess.”

He does his best to ignore the heat pooling in his stomach, swirling uncomfortably, but Clarke turns away from her mirror to look up at him and his nostrils flare to inhale even deeper.

“Bellamy,” she says softly, her hand falling to his chest. “I know this is going to sound crazy...”

He holds his breath, hand falling to her hip. Everything screams at him to kiss her until she can’t fucking breathe. There’s no denying it now. He can feel it in his fucking blood. In his goddamn soul.

Clarke Griffin is his mate. His other half. His Omega.

“Yeah?”

The rushing of feet coming up the stairs cause them to pull away quickly and a moment later, Raven and Octavia appear at the door, breathing heavily. They stop at the sight of Bellamy and Clarke. If it weren’t for the fact that the young women are trying so hard to hide the two plastic bags of alcohol behind their backs, it’s likely they would’ve known something was amiss between the two.

Instead, Bellamy covers for them. “Alright, I don’t even want to know what you two have been up to.” He looks back at Clarke, tugging at one of the loose tendrils of hair that frames her face like he used to when they were kids. “But as for _you,_ your mom seriously wants you downstairs immediately.” He steps between Octavia and Raven, who shift to let him pass but also keep their bounty hidden. He eyes them suspiciously, brow arching as they do their best to look completely innocent. It never worked before and certainly doesn’t work now.

The three girls manage to wait until Bellamy is only halfway down the steps before they dissolve into their usual fit of giggles. Shaking his head, he smiles.

-

The party is as perfect as Abby wants it to be. Clarke greets every guest with a polite smile and hug before directing them on where everything is.

When they all arrive, she mingles about with open genuineness. She asks her elders about their families, her friends about their futures. Clarke is the perfect birthday girl host.

Bellamy avoids her all night. They’re never closer than room distance apart.

If she notices, she doesn’t let on. Instead, she smiles at him from across the room while she talks to her friends. She openly laughs when she spots him trapped in the corner by Marcus Kane, the possible next mayor of their town. And when she’s dancing in the backyard with Octavia, Raven, and a bunch of other girls, she makes a a goofy face at him when she notices him sitting alone on the deck, drinking a beer.

But he doesn’t say another word to her the rest of the night. He helps Abby clean up little by little. Makes sure none of the younger kids run off as the adults drink a little more. And around ten, as things are finally winding down and people begin to leave, he tells Abby he’ll come by in the morning to really help clean up and heads home for the night.

Sitting on his bed, he holds the polaroid Abby had given him before the party had started. The edges are crinkled a little from being in his pocket. The image is of Bellamy with Raven, Octavia, and Clarke before the three girls had gone upstairs to get dressed and cleaned up. Somehow, Bellamy got suckered into standing in the middle. Raven has her arms folded over her chest as she leans one shoulder up against Bellamy’s right arm, she’s grinning in a bright display of sparkling white teeth. Octavia is crouched awkwardly in front of him, throwing some kind of made up gangster sign at the camera, a pout puckering her lips. On his left is Clarke, curled comfortably under his arm. She’s holding up the peace sign and smiling so wide her eyes are shut. It’s a goofy photo and somehow catches their strange dynamic perfectly.

He sets it on his nightstand and goes to bed.

When he goes over the next morning to make good on his promise of cleaning to Abby, he finds another polaroid on the kitchen counter. This time it’s just of Clarke and another woman he doesn’t know. They’re pressed close, almost intimately. The other woman is wearing a leather jacket and has her hair in intricate braids. Her makeup is dark and dramatic. She’s facing Clarke with her teeth bared in a massive grin. Her forehead is pressed to Clarke’s temple and Clarke is mid-laugh. Whoever took it got it when they weren’t paying attention. He puts the picture door just as Abby enters the kitchen.

Together, they chat about the night and Clarke and Octavia and Raven. She asks him about college and he tells her he’ll be graduating soon. Though, he’s thinking about going back to get his Bachelors. She fully supports his ideas, like she always has. And like she did when he was eighteen, she offers financial help should he need it. He thanks her, but declines.

He goes to leave before the gaggle of girls passed out in the living room even realize he’s there. For a moment, he stops and watches Clarke sleep. She looks like an absolute mess. What little makeup she’d been wearing is smeared across her temple, her hair is every which way and he can tell from across the room that there’s drool crusted to her chin.

Eighteen and twenty-two are much more acceptable, he tells himself. He could pursue her now. Claim her. God, he wants to. 

But then he sees it. Clarke holding tightly to the leather jacket of the woman he saw in the picture.

He sighs softly. Clarke is only eighteen. She hasn’t even been to college yet. There’s a whole world out there for her to explore. People to meet, journeys to take, experiences to experience.

She’s his mate, he knows that. But she deserves to live her life. He isn’t going to take that from her.

For a moment longer, he watches her sleep.

Then, he’s heading towards the front door. He doesn’t even notice the way Raven’s eyes watch him from her spot against the wall.


	3. Not Quite A Booty Call

It’s almost two in the morning when Bellamy is awoken by the echoing sound of knocking at his front door. He stumbles out of bed with a groan and steps out into the hall. Octavia is there as well, eyebrows scrunching in the same exact way Bellamy’s are. “Who did you booty call this fucking early?” She snaps at him, rubbing her eyes. Having two Alphas in the house can be rough as they tend to butt heads even more now, but they manage.

He knocks her shoulder softly. “Shut up, this isn’t for me.” He blinks rapidly to clear his gaze as the knocking becomes louder. “If you keep knocking on my door like that, I’m going to snap you in half!” He calls out as his feet sound like thunder on the steps.

Whoever it is better have a dammed good reason to be there that early.

When he reaches the front door, he throws it open to find Clarke Griffin gazing up at him. He’s so startled to see her, his mouth drops open. It’s been two years since he really got a chance to see her for longer than a few passing seconds when she was in town. Her hair is still long, but there’s a red streak in it that he doesn’t recall her having. Bags under her eyes that weren’t always there. Tears brimming in her gaze that he hasn’t seen since she was in high school. The makeup she’s wearing is heavy, spreading up her temples to disappear into her hairline. It’s the most dramatic he’s ever seen her look. What tears have already fallen only add to the dramatic eye design.

“Clarke?” Octavia says from the top of the steps. “What are you doing here?” She’s not angry, only confused. She begins a slow descent of the stairs.

Bellamy steps aside, letting the blonde in. She hadn’t been around much since she’d started dating Lexa. The two women had been smitten with each other, running off to live on a farm somewhere in Oklahoma. Clarke had abandoned her plans to go to college and had been selling her art online. At least, that was what Bellamy had been told. She visited from time to time, but it had taken a very negative effect on all her other relationships.

From what Bellamy knew, Octavia hadn’t spoken to Clarke in almost six months.

“Lexa and I-” Her voice breaks and Octavia is there, wrapping Clarke into a hug. “We broke up!” She clings to Octavia, sobbing openly. Her body shakes with the overflowing emotions and Bellamy closes the door behind them gently.

He knew it would happen, of course. Clarke was his Omega, not Lexa’s. But despite that, seeing Clarke in pain for any reason hurts. He has to clench his fists to stop himself from letting his emotions overtake him.

He leaves the two of them for a moment and makes her a cup of tea. When he returns with it, Clarke’s crying has calmed and she’s hiccuping through her explanation of what happened.

Lexa wanted children, Clarke didn’t. Lexa provided an ultimatum. Clarke didn’t give.

He’s proud of her for not bending to anyone’s demands. He had liked Lexa well enough when he’d met her a few times, but she’d been raised from childhood to be an Alpha and there was something in her teachings that never sat quite right with Bellamy.

Clarke thanks him for the tea before she blows on it and disappears upstairs into Octavia’s room.

He waits downstairs for another hour, knowing who else to expect. The knock is soft and he opens the door to give Raven a lopsided smile. She looks tired but alert. “I knew that girl was no good,” she mutters as she shrugs off her jacket.

Bellamy chuckles because it’s true. Raven had been the first to tell them all that Lexa and Clarke weren’t going to work out. Bellamy had never outwardly agreed with her, but he had obviously known.

“How is she?” She asks. Raven’s relationship with Clarke hadn’t faired any better than Octavia’s. But it seemed time had done nothing to change how fiercely protective they are of each other. “Do I need to go kill a bitch?”

“No,” he says, shaking his head and closing the door. The lock slides into place easily. “I think she just needs her friends.”

Raven looks at him for a long moment. Her eyes take him in like she can read him like a book she wrote herself. “Are you okay?”

The question catches him off guard. “Me?”

A fresh wail of heartbreak starts up and Raven doesn’t wait another second. She can no longer run up the stairs due to the cast on her left leg, but she hobbles up them quickly and he can hear her shushing Clarke gently. His Omega’s emotions bounce around the house, pulling at him, but he doesn’t give in to the instinct to go to her.

And god, does he want to. He wants to join them. To pull Clarke in and tell her that it doesn’t matter because Lexa isn’t the end. That he’s there, her true Alpha is there.

Instead, he cooks a frozen pizza for them and grabs a case of soda from his hidden stash - Octavia will drink them all if he doesn’t hide them.

When the pizza is done, he finally goes upstairs and enters the room.

Clarke is in the middle of the floor, tears falling silently now. Octavia’s head is in her lap and Raven is brushing her hair. He sets the food and drinks down on Octavia’s desk and offers them a smile. “You guys need anything, you let me know, okay?”

Raven nods and Octavia shoots him the thumbs up. Clarke however, sniffles and reaches out a hand for him. He moves into the room to take in and the feel of her hand gripping his sends a jolt through him. They haven’t touched since their last moment alone together in her room. “I’m sorry to come over here unannounced like this.”

He leans down, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “You’re always welcome here, Clarke.” Her scent, that fresh cantalope smell, wafts up through his nose, filling his lungs. He basks in it for a moment.

Bellamy doesn’t linger long, but squeezes her hand once more before he passes out in the hallway, just outside Octavia’s door. Just in case they need him. Just in case she needs him.

-

When he gets up the next morning, he notices the sliding back door is open and goes out to investigate.

Clarke has perched herself up on the railing over the deck, legs swinging as she watches the sunrise. Her shoulders are hunched but Bellamy notes there’s a significant lack of tension in them. He closes the door behind him as he steps out onto the deck.

“Morning,” he says, coming around to rest his forearms on the railing beside her. “You’re up early.” He looks over at her.

She faces him, revealing puffy, pink eyes. A side effect of having cried herself to sleep. Her face is clear of all the dark makeup she had been wearing, for which he finds himself grateful. He’d always liked her natural look more. The red in her hair is gone too, he realizes. There’s a strand of hair significantly shorter than the rest and he knows the three young women well enough to know Octavia and Raven had probably hyped her up to cut it out.

“Morning,” she replies, giving him a tired smile. “Sorry again about-”

He knocks his shoulder into her side. “Don’t. You have nothing to apologize for. You’d have done the same for Octavia if something like this had happened to her.” He runs his tongue over his bottom lip, looking away before looking back. “And you know this is just as much your house as it is ours.”

She ducks her head and he can see her throat bob as she swallows. “I haven’t been around much.”

He nods. “No, you haven’t.”

Her thumbs rub themselves together. “I’ve been a bad friend.”

He nods again. “You haven’t been the greatest.”

She laughs, a watery sound. “I don’t deserve friends like Raven and Octavia.”

He straightens up. “That part isn’t true.” Without thinking, Bellamy reaches over to pull one of Clarke’s hands into his. “Everyone makes mistakes Clarke. And when you fall in love with someone, you make them a lot more often.” His smile is small and lopsided, but he squeezes her hand. “You deserve Raven and Octavia just as much as they deserve you. They love you. They’ve missed you.”

“But I basically just left. I...I didn’t really even say goodbye. I packed up everything in one afternoon and just...I just left.” She presses her free hand to her eyes. “I was so enraptured with Lexa I abandoned my whole life. My mom, my plans for my future, Raven, Octavia,” she hiccups. “You.” Fresh tears spill down her cheeks. “How can I ask anyone to forgive me for that?”

His heart clenches painfully in his chest. “You don’t have to ask because there’s nothing to forgive. But, if you need forgiveness, I’ll give that to you.” Her hand falls away, revealing ocean eyes, waves pooling at her bottom lids. “You’re forgiven.” He nods back towards the house. “Let’s go inside.”

For a moment, he thinks she’s going to say no. Instead, her hand tightens in his and she nods. Carefully, Bellamy helps her down from the railing and they walk inside.

“Good morning!” Raven sings at the sight of them, their hands falling apart. “We saw you two talking, so we didn’t want to interrupt. Instead, we made breakfast.” She gestures dramatically to the selection of food; bacon, eggs, biscuits, orange juice, milk, you name it. “Bacon is a little toasty because Octavia’s boyfriend texted her and she forgot to check on it,” she says, teasingly.

“Boyfriend?” Bellamy echoes, eyes shifting between the group. “Who was going to share that bit of news with me?”

Octavia, from her place at the stove, turns around with fire in her eyes to glare at the grinning Raven. “I told you not to say anything!” She looks to Bellamy. “Bell, he isn’t my boyfriend. We literally just started talking like a week ago.”

He hums his displeasure, but lets it drop for now. “I’ll decide how I feel about that after I try this burnt bacon.” He grabs a piece from the plate and bites into it. “You’re lucky,” he concludes.

“Anyone want coffee?” Clarke asks, smiling again as she pulls the selection of Keurig cups down from their usual spot in the cupboard. Only Bellamy says yes. “Ugh, Bellamy do you only keep decaf in here?” She pouts, searching through what he’s got.

Grabbing himself a plate, he begins piling his foods of choice onto it. “No, there’s more in the cabinet. The box I buy comes with a mixture, but unfortunately that mixture includes decaf.”

He watches as she pulls herself onto the counter to look deeper into the kitchen cabinet. “Ah ha!” She declares upon finding the unopened box. “What kind?”

“Surprise me.”

A few minutes later, the four each have plates full of food and have taken their seats at the kitchen table. It feels like, for just a moment, nothing has changed. It doesn’t last long because soon Clarke is telling them she’s staying in Arkadia and enrolling in Arkadia University.

“I haven’t decided much else passed that, but I think it’s a good start.” She takes in a forkful of eggs before continuing. “I just, I gotta figure myself out, you know? I let Lexa make all the choices. I didn’t want to live on a farm at all, but I just went along with it.” She shakes her head, shaking a piece of bacon at Raven. “And children? At this age? There are days I can barely make myself take a shower, how could I ever wash a kid?” She bites down on the bacon as Octavia laughs. “I’m twenty! I mean, I get it, Lexa is twenty-four and maybe she wants to start a family that early, but...” She slouches back into her chair. “I didn’t make a mistake, right? Telling her no and leaving? I...I don’t have to have kids just because my significant other does, right? She’s an Alpha and I’m an Omega...maybe...” Her voice trails off.

"You said it yourself, Clarke,” Bellamy says, finishing off his coffee. “You’re twenty. That’s still young. And having kids before you’re ready, or at all if you don’t want to, is not going to make you happy.” He stands. “Lexa couldn’t see that and for that, I’m sorry. But now, you’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Make sure you’re doing what you want to do.” He gave her a look. “Because being an Omega does not mean giving up your wants and needs for your Alpha’s.”

Raven is looking up at him, that familiar eyebrow cocked upwards. Bellamy can’t stand it. “Bellamy is right. Believe it or not,” she adds to tease him. “And not only that, but there are plenty of Alphas out there that will be ready for you when you’re ready. Right Bellamy?” She meets his gaze again and there’s a challenge there.

A knowledge of something he hasn’t shared with anyone.

Raven knows. She winks.

“Right.” He turns on his heel there and walks back into the kitchen, busying himself with the dishes.


	4. Trying to Remain Civil

He walks into Abby’s wedding reception and immediately wants to go home.

He’s happy for Abby, of course. She loves Marcus. He’s been a great mayor for Arkadia, a great man to Abby, and a good step-dad to Clarke. Though, that last one came after quite a bit of tension.

So it isn’t that he doesn’t want to celebrate the love between the woman who has been like a second mother to him and the man who helped him get the Arkadia Public Library built and made him the library’s lead archivist. But when he sees Clarke from across the room, it’s like being punched in the gut.

It’s like she’s gotten even more beautiful since he last saw her.

Which was literally like, yesterday when she was at the house helping Octavia paint her nails.

He runs a hand over his face, the scruff of his beard scratching against his palm.

“You seem distracted, you okay?”

Bellamy glances at Echo and gives her a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little overwhelmed with the excitement. It’s surreal to think Abby getting married.”

Echo nods, gripping his elbow. “Why don’t we make the rounds, say our hellos. That way we can grab our seats and get settled.”

They’ve been dating for a little over a year now, though to Bellamy is feels like longer. Echo is an Alpha, like him. And while two Alphas in a relationship isn’t unheard of, it isn’t without its hardships. They’re both incredibly stubborn, commanding people. And while in the beginning, that had been fun to play off of, it was beginning to wear on Bellamy. And he was starting to think that Echo felt the same.

“That sounds good.” He leads the way to Raven where she sits in the table closest to the bride and groom’s table with her boyfriend, Wick. He knows from Abby that he and Echo have been placed at the same table as the girls and their significant others.

Raven spots them and gives a warm smile, pressing a kiss to Wick’s cheek as she stands. Her movements are smoother than they were when she first had the brace fitted to her knee. “Hey you two,” she greets, pulling Bellamy in for a hug. She pointedly avoids doing the same with Echo.

Echo either doesn’t notice, or doesn’t care.

“Hey,” Bellamy greets with a smile, pressing a kiss to the side of Raven’s head. “You look beautiful. And you’re looking handsome as ever, Wick,” he grunts towards the blond man still sitting at the table, playing on his tablet.

He earns a grunt in return.

Raven rolls her eyes. “Thanks.” Her eyes shift over to where Clarke is being pulled onto the dance floor by Octavia. “I think Abby and Kane should be here soon. She mentioned something about wanting to get out of the big dress and put on something a little more maneuverable.”

Bellamy laughs. “Can’t say I blame her. Never would’ve picked her as the princess dress type, but what do I know?”

They talk a moment longer before Raven decides she wants to dance a little and drags Wick onto the dance floor.

Bellamy and Echo finishing making the rest of their rounds before heading back to their table. Octavia is there with Lincoln, as is Clarke with her girlfriend, Niylah. An Omega, like Clarke. Bellamy’s chest immediately tightens when he sees Niylah scent mark Clarke, who laughs softly in return.

Octavia groans, “Seriously? In front of my salad?” The table laughs at the reference and the fact that Octavia is eating a steak, not a salad.

Lincoln is the first to spot Bellamy and Echo. “Hey guys, about time you got here. What took so long?”

Echo pulls her chair out and seats herself. “We were saying hello is all. We’ve been here.”

Bellamy’s eyes finally meet Clarke and he notices, not without a bit of vindication, that her jaw clenches at the sight of Echo. He takes the seat between Clarke and Echo and shoots her a wink. “Saw those sick dance moves, Clarke. You been letting Murphy teach you?”

The tension leaves her shoulders at his voice and the corners of her eyes wrinkle slightly when she smiles. “Shut up. Emori would snap my neck if I so much as thought about asking Murphy to teach me how to dance.”

They fall into conversation as easily as ever. Despite smelling Niylah’s scent all over her, Bellamy does his best to remain civil.

But his instincts are raging within him. He wants to grab Clarke by the hand and drag her out of there. Take her anywhere private, cover her in his scent. Make sure that everyone knows who she belongs to, and who he belongs to in return. The idea has his temperature rising and he has to let the conversation fade to turn back to Echo, who is talking to Lincoln about the time they both served in the military.

Octavia is visibly annoyed by the topic of conversation, but simply shovels more of her steak into her mouth. Her gaze meets Bellamy’s before shifting away suddenly. Since he began his relationship with Echo, his relationship with Octavia has suffered. He tried not to hold it against her. After all, who really wanted to see their sibling dating their childhood bully?

“The bride and groom are here!” Raven announces, interrupting the group.

They all rise to their feet, turning towards the door to see Kane and Abby walking in together. Some country love song plays over the speaks as the sound of clapping rises. The two are smiling at each other and the crowd; a picture of happiness. Kane is still in his tux, but Abby’s new dress comes to her knees and has a sweetheart neckline. She looks more like herself in this one.

A whistle goes up behind Bellamy and he laughs, knowing it’s Octavia. “I love you Abby!” She shouts, grabbing the newly wedded woman’s attention.

Abby laughs as well, blowing the group of them kisses as they take their places at the bride and groom table. The group blows kisses back to her. It’s a simple white lace table clothe over a table just big enough for the two of them. At the bottom, where the clothe meets the floor, rows of flickering, fake candles have been placed. The backdrop is a white curtain with fairy lights draped over the edges. 

There wedding had been simple. No groomsmen or bridesmaids. Just the two of them, exchanging rings and vows in front of a handful of the closest people in their lives.

At twenty-eight, Bellamy has found himself aching for the same. He glances to Clarke, seeing the tears of sheer joy welling in her eyes. Does she ache for it too?

He doesn’t ask.

The night commences as planned; dancing, drinking, laughing, photo after photo. Eventually though, Echo announces she has to leave. Too many people for too long, she cites. Bellamy doesn’t try to get her to stay and she doesn’t ask him to leave.

He walks her to her car and they part ways with a soft kiss. As he watches her car pull away, he knows its time to cut things off. Stringing each other along any longer is just going to leave them both bitter in the end.

When he gets back inside, he finds Clarke saying goodbye to Niylah, who has to work the next morning. He offers to walk Niylah to her car and she accepts with genuine appreciation. They talk for a moment at her station wagon where she asks him to make sure Clarke gets home safely.

He doesn’t tell her that he’s been doing that since before Niylah was ever in their lives. Instead he promises to do just that and walks back into the reception hall.

Octavia, Lincoln, Raven, and Wick have made themselves at home on the dance floor, the four of them taking up as much space as possible by jumping around and making fools of themselves. They’re clearly drunk and Bellamy knows they’ll only be drunker by night’s end. Clarke, from her place at their table, is taking a thousand photos on her phone, laughing at the silly display her friends are putting on.

Bellamy moves to take a seat beside her and she smiles at him. “Thanks for walking Niylah to her car. I appreciate it.”

He shrugs, taking his suit jacket off to wrap around the back of his chair. “No problem.”

“You having fun?” She asks, setting her phone down.

He sits back in his chair, rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt. “Absolutely. Are you?”

Their eyes catch for a long moment before Clarke nods. “I am, yeah. It’s good seeing my mom like this. She’s been stressing over this for so long…I just, I’m glad she’s happy.”

He grins. “Me too. She deserves it.. Now, get over here and get a picture with me,” he said, pulling his phone out of his back pocket.

They press together and take a handful of photos in quick succession while making a barrage of faces. When they flip back through them, Bellamy laughs at one that makes Clarke’s face look even rounder than normal. “Oh, god! Delete that one!” She demands, reaching for his phone.

He shakes his head, keeping his phone out of reach. “Oh no, this one is absolutely my new contact picture for you.” Bellamy makes a show of setting it as such right then.

Clarke groans. “You’re the worst, you know that?”

“Maybe so. But you love it.” He stands then, putting his phone back into his pocket. “Now get up and dance with me, Clarke Griffin.” He offers his hand down to her.

She doesn’t hesitate to take it.

He spins her onto the floor where they meet up with their little group, joining in on the foolishness with ease. Octavia challenges Clarke to a dance off and the two somehow end up on the floor, attempting to breakdance. It isn’t until the slit up the side of Octavia’s blood red dress rips to reveal more of her thigh that Lincoln puts a stop to it by hauling her to her feet. They laugh but don’t let it stop another dance battle. One that stays off the ground, thankfully.

Eventually the fast pace music shifts into something slower and the couples break off, wrapping themselves around each other.

Clarke moves to go back to the table, but Bellamy catches her hand. “Oh no, Princess. I think you owe me a slow dance.”

She does hesitate this time, but only for a moment. She steps into his arms, hands resting on his shoulders. Her heels make her taller, but he still stands above her.

The song that plays is another country song and they sway together. His hands are at a respectful place on her sides, they keep a good few inches between them. Bellamy fights the urge to pull her forward. He can still smell Niylah on her neck.

“How are things with Echo?” She asks suddenly.

He blinks down at her. “Oh. Uhm. Good, I guess.” He shrugs. Echo and him aren’t really a topic he wants to discuss.

“That’s good.”

“You and Niylah?” He asks.

“Good,” she says, nodding. “We’re good.”

They fall into a strange silence as another slow song starts up. His eyes meet Raven’s over the top of Clarke’s head and he shifts his gaze away. The knowing looks she gives him anymore are starting to get to be too much.

“I have to say,” she begins again, shifting her stance. “You and Echo…I never…” She wets her bottom lip before looking up at him.

His jaw clenches, knowing exactly where the conversation is about to start. “Don’t start.”

That wasn’t the right thing to say. Her blue gaze darkens. Whatever she was nervous about saying before rushes forward with vigor. “I just didn’t expect you to date someone who used to bully Octavia and once punched me in the face is all.” He body has gone tense under his hands.

“Echo’s changed.” He doesn’t know why he’s defending Echo. She hasn’t really changed. She apologized to him for what she did to Octavia in school, but never actually apologized to Octavia. And now that he knows things are going to end between them, he really has no reason to defend her. And yet.

Clarke laughs bitterly. “Yeah, okay.”

His fingers twitch. “If you have something to say, Clarke, why don’t you just say it, huh?”

Her eyes meet his and their a blue blaze. “Your girlfriend is a bitch. You’re dating a girl who once gave me a black eye.” Her nails unintentional dig into his shoulders. Their dancing is tense. “I thought you were just going to have a casual hook up or something, but it’s been a year now. And she’s still here.”

The jealousy is plain to see now. Bellamy can’t help it, he loves knowing Clarke is jealous of Echo.

But her jealous stirs up his own.

“And what about Niylah?” He snaps back. Unconsciously, he pulls her closer to him.

“I was there when you told Raven and O that she was just gonna be a hook up. But then you invite her to your mom’s wedding? You let her scent mark you in front of all of us?” He swallows hard. This is not the time or place he wants to have this kind of conversation - argument. 

She gapes at him. “Uh, my relationship with Niylah has nowhere near the same effect as your relationship with Echo. She didn’t beat you or Octavia up. And for the record, I said I wasn’t sure if she was going to be more than a hook up. My feelings are allowed to change, Bellamy.”

He glares down at her, “Oh, so mine aren’t?”

“That’s not what I said,” she retorts.

“It’s what you implied.”

They’ve stopped dancing completely now, their hands tight on each other.

Together, they stalk off back to their table.

“I wasn’t saying that your feelings aren’t allowed to change. But really Bellamy, Echo?” She stresses. “You could have any girl you wanted, but you went with the girl who literally tormented Octavia for years.”

He has no real comeback for that. Instead, he sighs. “What do you want me to say, Clarke?”

When he looks at her again, he sees a look in her eyes he’s seen more times than he cares to count. It’s heartbreak. This time though, it’s caused by him.

Then, it’s gone. Replaced with anger. “Nothing. You don’t have to say anything.” She reaches for her glass of wine and takes a long drink. “Who you date is none of my concern, Bellamy. If you want to be with a woman like Echo, that’s not my business. And if I want to be with Niylah, well,” her eyes shift back up to his, “that’s none of your business.” She sets the glass down and pushes some hair behind her ear. “I’m going to go find my mother.”

She’s gone before he can open his mouth.

He stays for the rest of the evening, but he doesn’t leave the table. Octavia tries to get him to dance a few times, but he cites a headache for his place at the table and she leaves him alone. Lincoln comes over to get a drink and they talk for a bit before he leaves again.

Finally, Raven makes her way over and sits down next to him.

“I can smell your bad mood from across the room,” she tells him, hiking up her dress to remove her brace. It comes away to reveal red indentions in her caramel colored skin. He knows her and Murphy have made their peace over the motorcycle accident that caused the injury, but sometimes he really wants to punch that stupid son of a bitch in the face.

“I’m not in a bad mood.”

She snorts. “Sure.” Stretching her leg out under the table, she jabs him hard in the side. “Should we have this conversation now, or when we’re both a little more sober?”

He watches Clarke and her mother dancing together. If his mood was better, it would be enough to make him smile. Instead, his heart clenches. “Can we do it tomorrow?”

“I can be over at ten.”

Swallowing, Bellamy watches Clarke twirl her mother around as the two of them laugh.

“Ten will work.”

* * *

Raven shows up at nine and lets herself in. Bellamy is already up and on his second cup of coffee. When he offers her some, she declines and shows her energy drink.

Without a word, they sit at the kitchen table. The silence lasts for a few minutes and it’s comfortable. His relationships with Octavia, Raven, and Clarke have all been vastly different from each other. His relationship with Raven was one of understanding. They’d never really discussed it, but the two of them shared a connection of genuine friendship that he didn’t have with many women.

“How long have you known?” He finally gets the courage to ask.

She glances up at him and gives a sad smile. “Since the night Clarke presented.”

He swallows hard and looks down at his coffee. “How? I didn’t do anything.”

“No,” she says softly. “But I could feel it.”

His eyebrows pinch together. “What do you mean, you could feel it? I walked out before any of you even saw me.”

Her eyes grow sadder. “I could feel it in Clarke.”

That makes his heart clench harder than he was ready for and he almost chokes. He knew they felt a mutual connection. But having it verbally recognized by someone, it made it real. He hadn’t been ready for that. “What?”

“Bellamy, she talked about you all night that night. It was annoying at the time, especially because I could feel something I didn’t understand. Now, I know exactly what it was. She was calling for you. Not out loud, obviously, but it was…” She struggles to find the words, which is new for Raven. “I don’t know how to explain it. It didn’t stop until we saw you the next morning.”

“She was sixteen, I couldn’t just-”

She holds up a hand to stop him. “I’m not blaming you, Bellamy. Not in the slightest. You did the right thing. I’d have broken your hand if you’d tried anything,” she said, grinning at him.

He relaxes with a soft chuckle. “I know you would’ve.”

“Either way, she eventually got it under control. Though, I can feel it from time to time. Usually when you’re in the same room.” She finishes off the rest of her energy drink. “Like last night.”

“How can you sense it and I can’t?” He asks, tilting his head.

Raven shrugs, reaching up to run a hand through her dark waves. There’s bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. Remnants of makeup she didn’t quite get off as well. “Dunno. Maybe it was because I was there when she presented? Maybe it’s because I’m an Alpha? The Alpha she was with when she presented? I really have no idea. But I’ve been in tune to Clarke’s emotions since that day. And Octavia’s, if we’re being honest. And I was with her when she presented too, so maybe that is the reason.”

He lifts his mug and takes a drink, giving himself a moment to think.

“I don’t know what to do,” he says after he swallows.

Raven shakes her head, reaching across the table to grab his clenched fist. Her eyes are apologetic. “I don’t have that answer for you.”


	5. Game Night

Meeting Finn Collins has got to be in the top three of Bellamy Blake’s worst fucking days.

The guy is a complete ass. He walks like he’s got a dick the size of Texas and every woman is dying to see it. The way he talks is cocky, like he can’t get enough of his own voice. Even the way the guy dresses is enough to set Bellamy on edge.

But the worst thing, the absolute worst....is the way he looks at Clarke.

Like he owns her. Like she’s his.

Because Clarke belongs to one person, and that person is Bellamy Blake.

And every time Finn throws his arm around Clarke’s shoulder and pulls her in to whisper something in her ear, Bellamy is certain he’s going to break that fucker over his knee and call it a day.

And having the little shit at his house is fucking worse.

“I’m not playing Monopoly again,” Octavia announces, pulling Bellamy’s attention back to the topic at hand.

Its game night.

“You’re only saying that because you lost last week,” Raven says with a laugh, reaching to pull out a few other games she’s brought.

Octavia huffs, crossing her arms. “Uhm, I’ll have you know that I didn’t lose. You cheated and I reacted accordingly.”

Raven laughs harder. “I didn’t cheat, Octavia. You just don’t know how to count money.”

Lincoln kisses Octavia’s cheek, which seems to calm her slightly. “Doesn’t matter. New day, new game night, new game. What else have we got?”

Someone rattles off a few other games for them to choose from and Bellamy sits back into his chair, gripping his glass of whiskey tightly. He used to enjoy game nights. Having the girls back over at the house was nice, especially because Octavia had long since moved in with Lincoln. It could get lonely.

Finn’s hand is on Clarke’s thigh, squeezing softly as she giggles. She looks at Finn like he’s solely responsible for hanging the moon.

Bellamy closes his eyes and downs the whole glass of whiskey. It burns, but he doesn’t care.

Nothing hurts like seeing Clarke with Finn. At least with Lexa he didn’t have to see it. And Niylah wasn’t around that long. But Finn...fucking Finn is everywhere. And he’s a goddamn Beta.

“You got any more beer, Bellamy?”

He looks to Zeke, Raven’s boyfriend, and blinks. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, check the fridge out in the garage. Should be some in there.”

Zeke nods and heads that way, shouting over his shoulder, “Anyone need something?”

Lincoln, Octavia, and Finn send their requests after him.

When he returns, the group finally settle on Cards Against Humanity.

Bellamy wishes he could say he was more involved with the game, that he was really trying. But he wasn’t. He threw down whatever card he saw first and drank.

If the others noticed his distancing, none of them said anything. Not even Raven, who was more caught up in her boyfriend, Zeke. They’d been together for only a few months, but it was obvious that Raven had found her Omega. Bellamy was happy for her, truly. But it made being around Clarke harder too.

The night drags and Bellamy knows its his own fault. He just...can’t.

It isn’t until Finn’s phone chimes and he announces he has to leave that Bellamy can finally relax. He does, however, go into the kitchen to get a snack while Clarke kisses Finn goodbye at the front door. There’s only so much he can take in in one night.

He thought having Finn gone would be better, and for a while, it was. He stops drinking and actually allows himself to be more active in their next round of Cards Against Humanity, eventually coming in second. Octavia wins, however, and proceeds to rub it in everyone’s faces.

Just as they’re picking out their second game, something in Clarke shifts, which immediately grabs Bellamy’s attention. He watches her for a long moment as she fidgets in her spot on the floor. He opens his mouth to ask what’s wrong but closes it when she takes a deep breath in.

“So, I have something to tell you guys,” she says finally, her voice shaking just enough that Bellamy can catch it.

His stomach drops. Whatever it is, he knows he’s not going to like it.

Raven’s eyes lock onto his and she swallows.

Whatever it is Clarke is going to say, Raven already knows. That doesn’t make him feel any better.

“What’s up, Clarke?” Octavia asks.

The blonde laughs softly, a clear sign of her nerves. “Sorry, I’m just nervous. I...well.” She takes in a deep breath. “Finn and I have been talking.” She swallows, throat constricting with the movement. “I know we’ve only been together for less than a year, but...well,” she laughs nervously again. “We’re going to be mates.” She beams. “He’s going to mark me on our ten month anniversary.” Her right hand reaches up, gently brushing over her mating gland below her ear.

There’s a long stretch of silence and a heavy tension clouds the air.

“Absolutely not.”

Bellamy’s voice startles even himself.

Clarke’s blue eyes widen in shock. “W-what?”

“I think what Bellamy is trying-” Raven shifts in her chair, reaching for Clarke’s arm before Bellamy interjects again.

“No, I meant what I said.” He sits up, focus entirely on the female Omega. “I said, no.”

Octavia’s mouth drops open, looking between her best friend and brother. “Guys, maybe we-”

“Excuse me?” Clarke gets to her knees, glaring at Bellamy over the table.

Their friendship had hit a snag after their argument two years ago at her mother’s wedding, but they’d been on the mend and things had been doing well. Until Finn, that is.

“Do you need to hear it a third time, Clarke?” He asks, teeth bared. “I said you’re not mating with Finn.”

Raven stands then. “Come on, Zeke.” He does as he’s told and stands, their hands interlocking. “I think Bellamy and Clarke need to talk.” Her eyes shift to Octavia, who nods in agreement.

Lincoln stands as Octavia does and the two head towards the door right behind Raven and Zeke.

Clarke and Bellamy don’t even notice. “How dare you. I can mate with whoever the hell I want.”

Bellamy snorts. “No, you can’t. And you won’t.” He’s leaning forward too, still seated on the couch. “Finn Collins is a fuckboy who looks at you like a goddamn piece of meat. Not to mention that’s the way he looks at every other fucking woman in sight.”

Her face is already red and she slams her hands on the coffee table between them. “He does not!”

“He does so!” Bellamy shakes his head. “Are you blind, Clarke? That little fucker was checking out Raven and Octavia the whole night! You can’t tell me you didn’t notice.”

She stops for a moment, as if trying to think. “No. No! He does not. He loves me. We’re going to be mates.”

Bellamy stands, having heard more than enough. “You’re not going to mate with some fucking Beta!”

On her feet just as fast, she looks up at him with a rage unlike anything he’s ever seen. Still, he doesn’t back down from her. “Who are you to tell me who I can and can’t mate with!?” She cries out, angry tears building in her gaze.

“Your Alpha, that’s who!” His voice booms, that Alpha-tinted tone barreling over her.

It’s enough to make her bow her head, submitting on instinct. The sight makes his stomach twist.

Then, her head jerks back up, anger and hurt flashing in her eyes. “You’re not my Alpha, don’t use that tone on me!”

“Clarke, I didn’t-” Guilt rolls through his stomach, making him nauseas.

She cuts him off as she turns, grabbing her purse and jacket from next to the fireplace. “No! You...you fucking...” She shaking she’s so mad. “Ten years, Bellamy!” She finally shouts, turning back to face him again. “You’ve had ten years to do fucking something and this is how you finally do it?” Her voice is shrill and she hates it.

Bellamy steps towards her, “Clarke, I didn’t-”

She bends down to grab a shoe and throws it at him. He catches it and lets it fall. “Enough! You don’t get to pull this shit on me. Not when I’m with someone who loves me and I love in return.” At the front door, she throws the door open, “I’m going to mate with Finn and there’s nothing you can do about it, Bellamy.” The door slams shut behind her, leaving Bellamy alone.

His phone pings and he pulls it from his back pocket, trying to ignore the way his hands shake. The text is from Raven.

I’m so sorry. I didn’t know she was going to tell you this tonight. I truly intended to warn you.

Teeth bared, he growls and throws the phone at the wall. It embeds itself in the plaster.

* * *

What wakes him up is the sound of his phone ringing. His eyes flutter as he tries to ignore it, but the ring is persistent and only ends for a few seconds at a time. When he finally does open his eyes, he’s greeted with the sight of the polaroid from Clarke’s 18th birthday.

With a jolt, he realizes his phone is still ringing.

Pushing himself up, he has to think for a minute about where his cell actually is and remembers he never pulled it out of the wall.

Fully awake now, he jogs down the steps to pull his cellphone from the wall, surprised to see the screen unharmed. The screen protector and case actually did their job.

His stomach drops when he sees Clarke’s picture flashing on the screen.

He answers, “Hello? Clarke?” His eyes find the clock on the wall; it’s only 2am.

The sound of Clarke’s loud sobbing fills his ears and sends nausea coursing through up his throat. “Clarke, sweetheart, you gotta talk to me. What’s wrong?”

Instincts have already taken over and he’s back in his room, throwing on a long sleeve shirt and a pair of jeans. Socks and shoes follow quickly. “Clarke,” he whispers, hearing her trying to catch her breath and actually talk, “Please, tell me what’s going on.”

She takes a deep breath in. “Finn...he...”

A shout overtakes her voice, “Who the fuck are you on the phone with?!” A loud thud. “Get out of the bathroom, Clarke!”

Already in his car, Bellamy barely lets the garage door open before he’s in reverse and out of his driveway. “I’m on my way Clarke, just keep talking to me.”

She’s crying louder now, “Please Bellamy, I don’t know what to do. He just...he won’t leave and I’m so scared.”

Her house is ten minutes, but its the longest ten minutes of Bellamy’s life. Clarke tries to keep talking to him, but the sounds of Finn’s scream through the door keep interrupting.

When he arrives, his truck fishtails in their driveway and he shoves it into park, barely managing to turn it off.

“I’m here, Clarke. I’m coming,” he tells her, hand gripping his phone tightly.

The line goes dead before she can say anything else and he doesn’t hesitate. He kicks the front door open, the wood splinters as the hinges are ripped from the frame.

The living room looks like a tornado paid its respects. Any and all decorations have been thrown about. There’s a rip in the couch, a chair overturned. Anything to be put out of place has been. It looks like a scene out of some trashy horror movie.

“You have three seconds to open this fucking door, Clarke! If you don’t, I’m going to break it down and drag you out myself!” The Beta’s tone is filled with enough rage to shock even Bellamy. He’s never liked Finn, but he’s never actually seen the guy anything less than happy.

The Alpha is up the stairs and down the hall in what seems like an instant. Finn glances his way, eyes widening just slightly. “What the fuck are you doing here, Bellamy? Get the fuck out of my house!”

As much as Bellamy wants to break Finn’s jaw and watch him suck his food through a straw for the rest of his life, he knows Clarke has been through enough. He decides to try and reason with the Beta first. “Finn,” he says calmly, taking a step closer. “Man, I don’t know what’s going on, but you’ve gotta chill out.”

Nope. That didn’t work.

Instead, it seems to ignite Finn’s anger all the more. “Who the fuck are you to come into my house and tell me to chill? This isn’t any of your business. Get out before I fucking make you get out.”

Clarke’s voice echoes down the hall. “Bellamy?”

Finn punches the door. “Shut the hell up, Clarke!”

Bellamy is on him, tackling him from the side and shoving him away from the door and onto the hardwood floor. “You get out of this fucking house, Finn. Or I’ll drag you out by your neck.” His voice rumbles with the Alpha tone of authority.

Unfortunately, that tone doesn’t have as strong of an effect on Betas as it does Omegas.

Finn swings, catching Bellamy in the side of the face. It gives him enough space to slide out from under the Alpha and kick him in the side.

Bellamy growls, jumping to his feet. The pain in his jaw pulses but he ignores it. He’s bigger than Finn not only in height but in muscle. He has the easy advantage. Finn’s rage, however, makes him a little more unpredictable.

The blows are exchanged in quick succession, neither ready to back down. But it isn’t long before Bellamy is able to overwhelm the younger man. A jab to the stomach followed by a right hook to the temple and Finn stumbles backwards, collapsing.

Not giving him any time to recover, Bellamy grabs the Beta by the front of his shirt. Wasting no mercy on Finn, Bellamy drags him down the steps, momentarily enjoying the sounds of pain and grunts of discomfort the act draws out.

When he reaches the front door, he pulls Finn up to his face, eyes blazing with barely managed madness brought on by his Omega being threatened. “If you ever come near Clarke again, I swear to any higher power that may be, I will kill you, Finn. I’ll rip your heart from your fucking chest and I’ll eat it, do you hear me?”

When Finn doesn’t answer, Bellamy shakes him hard. “I said do you fucking hear me?!”

Finally, Finn gurgles out a sound of understanding.

Bellamy shoves him out the front door, right in the path of the awaiting police officer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two to three more chapters after this! The next chapter will not include a time jump, but will continue right from where this one left off.
> 
> Thanks for sticking around guys and leaving kudos and comments. They truly inspire me to keep writing!


	6. Good Morning

He doesn’t leave Clarke’s side as she gives her statement to the police. His eyes remain on Finn as he’s loaded into the back of an ambulance and taken away. Bellamy knows his wounds aren’t as bad as they seem. There will be no broken bones or major injuries.

Just a well earned lesson left in bruises and blood.

Clarke shifts closer to him as she finishes her statement and he lifts his arm to wrap it around her. She nestles in and sighs. Her tears have long since stopped, but she trembles.

The cop looks between them. “I’m glad your friend here showed up, but next time, make sure you call the police first. Alright?” He waits until Clarke gives a short nod before finally leaving them alone.

“Are you okay?” Bellamy asks for the hundredth time that night.

She nuzzles into his chest and nods. “Yeah, I think so.”

His arm tightens around her. His nose presses into the top of her head and he inhales. She smells just as he remembers. “I’m so sorry, Clarke.”

“Bellamy, it’s not your fault.”

“No, I know. I just…I don’t know. I should’ve been here.” He should’ve come over right after their fight and made things up with her. Apologized for pulling the Alpha tone, apologized for upsetting her.

Its a struggle, but she pulls back to look up at him. There’s something she wants to say, but she swallows it down.

He leans down, scent marking her. Finn’s scent still clings to her and he wants it gone. Not just for his own sake, but for hers.

Clarke doesn’t seem to mind, letting him rub his scent on her. She tells herself its only because she doesn’t want to smell like Finn, but she knows there’s more. Now isn’t the time. She sighs, leaning further into his nuzzling.

“Come on. We’ll get you set up at my place while they get your door fixed.” He smiles sheepishly. “Sorry again, you know, for kicking it down.”

The blonde laughs for the first time that night. “Eh,” she shrugs. “The place is actually Finn’s. He’ll have to deal with it.”

They stand and Bellamy keeps Clarke’s hand in his as he leads her to his truck. He helps her into the passenger side and waits for her to buckle herself in before closing the door.

As he comes around to the driver side, Clarke watches him. The sight of him, calm, sturdy, constant, is enough to help her ease the tension from her shoulders. The truth is, her feelings for Bellamy were something she’d tried suppressing for a long time. Even when she’d been a kid, before she’d presented as an Omega, she’d always felt a fluttering in her chest when Bellamy walked into the room.

Those feelings had only gotten harder to ignore the older she got.

He slides into the driver seat and starts the car, regarding her out of the corner of his eye. She knows he thinks she can’t tell, but she picks up on the concern in his gaze. “I’m alright, Bellamy. I promise.” She gives him a soft smile.

His returning smile is a little tighter, but he nods. “I know.” Putting the car in reverse, he pulls out of the driveway. The cop car is still there, but the ambulance has long since left.

“I’m sorry.”

Bellamy’s head jerks to the right, eyebrow quirking up. “What? Why?”

She swallows, hard. “For earlier. At your house. You were right.” She clenches her legs together and twirls her thumbs around. “About Finn.” A deep breath in. “You were always right about everything.”

“I didn’t want to be.”

Her mouth lifts at the corner. “Yes you did.”

Bellamy chuckles softly. “Alright, maybe a little.” He grows serious again. “But I didn’t want you to get hurt. I never wanted to see you hurt, Clarke.”

On her thighs, her hand twitches, itching to touch him. “I know you didn’t.” He’s always been so kindhearted. Sure, he could be a real pain when they were kids. Back when she’d first met Octavia and by extension, Bellamy. He’d always picked on her then, but he was also the first to come to her rescue when she needed him.

Her arms come up to wrap around her waist as the truck moves along the street, taking her back towards a place she’s always considered home. She sucks in a shuttering breath. “I was so scared tonight,” she admits finally. Her eyes clench shut tightly. “I’ve never seen him like that.”

Without thinking, Bellamy pulls the car to the side of the road and puts it in park. “Hey,” he says softly, unbuckling his seatbelt. “You’re okay.”

She unbuckles her own belt and slides closer, into his waiting arms. She buries her face in his shoulder as he pulls her against his chest. The sound of his heartbeat is comforting. She does her best to time her breathing to it. “It’s just...surreal. He was never like that. I’ve never seen Finn angry before. And then...” She shakes her head. “What’s wrong with me?”

Bellamy stiffens. “What?”

“What’s wrong with me, Bellamy?” She asks again, leaning back. “What...am I a bad person? Am I a bad Omega?” Her blue eyes are watery, sad, lost. “I know I’m not perfect. But...he cheated on me. He cheated on me and then got mad when I caught him!” A sob racks her body. “What did I do wrong?”

“Nothing.” His tone is firm as he shifts back slightly, large hands gripping her upper arms. “Clarke, nothing is wrong with you. And you didn’t do anything to deserve how he treated you.” His thumbs rub against her soft skin. Up and down to help calm her. “Men like Finn, they’re everywhere. They’re betas, they’re Omegas, they’re Alphas. They exist and they prey on good people. They don’t care what their actions to do people, they just want to feel good about themselves.”

She sniffles, hands moving to grip at Bellamy’s shirt. “But maybe I-”

He refuses to hear it. “No.” He shakes his head. “Clarke, listen. I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now. But Finn made his own choices and they’re because of who he is and reflect nothing about you.”

She leans back into his chest, hands still holding his shirt. “Can I stay with you for a little while?”

“You can stay with me as long as you need, Clarke.”

\-------

As expected, the next morning Bellamy awakens to the sound of Octavia and Raven’s voices in his house.

Curling against the warm body in his bed, he makes a mental note to take Octavia’s key away and remind her she has to at least let him know when she’s coming over.

The thought shifts when he remembers the events of the night before.

Slowly, he lets Clarke go. She sighs gently before curling up into the warmth of the blanket he leaves behind. Bellamy allows himself a moment to take her in. Her blonde hair is in a knotted messy bun on her head, tilting slightly to the side. Her eyes are puffy from the night of crying and her cheeks still tinted pink. But she looks to be sleeping soundly and for that, he’s thankful. Perhaps even more thankful that she’d accepted the oversize shirt he’d offered her too.

He’d given her the shirt to change into and then had offered to let her sleep in Octavia’s old room. She laid in there for maybe thirty minutes before knocking on Bellamy’s door and asking if she could sleep in there with him. He wasn’t a strong enough man to say no.

Stretching, he glanced at the clock to find it was only nine in the morning. Barely five hours had passed since they’d gotten home. Putting on a shirt, Bellamy shoves his hands through his hair a few times before finally making his way downstairs to find Raven and Octavia making breakfast.

The moment they saw him, they were on him.

“Where is Clarke?”

“Is she okay?”

“Where’s Finn?”

“Did you kick his fucking ass?”

“I’m gonna kick his fucking ass.”

He held up his hands, “Guys. One question at a time. And keep your voices down, Clarke’s still asleep.”

They nod and walk back into the kitchen with him.

“Start at the beginning,” Raven demands, flipping a pancake.

Bellamy takes a deep breath in and settles in agains the counter.

“So after you guys left, Clarke and I argued a little more. It didn’t go on much longer, but she stormed out and I just went to bed.” That had been the biggest mistake. He should’ve gone after her. “Around two, I get this call from Clarke and she’s a mess. I can hear Finn losing his fucking mind in the background and I went over to check on her.”

Grabbing a mug from the cupboard, he begins to make himself some coffee. “I get there and the house is a fucking disaster. Like, Finn must’ve just lost his mind and ripped the place apart.” He shakes his head. “He must have snapped. But I could hear him upstairs banging on the bathroom door so I go up there. And he’s fucking screaming at Clarke through the door.” The muscles in his shoulders tighten and his teeth grit as he thinks back on it. “I tried reasoning with him, but I think me being there didn’t help. We got into it, threw some punches.”

Octavia reaches up, lips pursed as eyebrows furrowed to run her thumb along the slowly forming bruise on his cheek. “Big brother.”

He shrugged. “I’m alright, really.” He smiles at her. “He’ll be worse off than me, anyway. But the police showed up after that and Clarke gave a statement.”

“But what set him off? What happened between Clarke leaving here and that phone call?”

Sighing heavily, Bellamy pulls his mug from the Keurig stand and waits for it to cool. “He was cheating. Apparently when he left, he went back to their place to meet up with a girl. I guess our fight shortened game night more than Finn had expected and Clarke didn’t tell him she was heading home.” His fists clenches the handle of his mug tightly. “She got home and there was another car in the driveway. She walks in and he’s fucking this girl on their couch.”

His body temperature rises. He wants to beat Finn’s face into the ground all over again. “The girl leaves and Finn loses it on Clarke. I don’t want to say what he said to her. If she wants to tell you, she will. But I-” He swallows the lump in his throat. “I won’t say it. He’s a fucking idiot and if I see him again, I’ll kill him.” He leans back against the counter again. “So she tells him she’s leaving and apparently tells him that I had said something about him being a fuckboy and that I was right, he calls her names. He started throwing shit around and so she locked herself in the bathroom and that’s when she called me.”

When he meets Raven and Octavia’s eyes, he isn’t surprised by the emotion shining so heavily back at him. Both sets of eyes glisten with unshed tears. “I’m going to kill him. I’m not fucking around, Bell. I’m going to kill him myself.”

“Did he hurt her?” Raven asks, a hand brushing away a tear threatening to fall. “Did he lay a hand on her?”

“No. No, he didn’t get the chance. She said the minute he started to get violent, she locked herself in her room.” Bellamy was certain he wouldn’t be having the same conversation if Finn had touched Clarke. He’d likely be in a jail cell somewhere.

Octavia moves to pull the bacon from the oven, shaking her head. Her entire body almost vibrates with rage. “How is she now, though?”

“She’s alright. Like I said, she’s still asleep. I’m gonna let her get as much rest as she needs. I told her she could stay here as long as she wanted. I guess the place they were living is actually under Finn’s name.”

Raven turns back to her pancakes and flips them again. One is burnt now, but she tosses it onto the plate anyway. “We should go by and get her things before Finn gets back from the precinct. Just grab whatever we think is hers and get out of there.”

“That’s a good idea. I can have Lincoln meets us there too. Just in case.”

Raven nods. “I’ll text Zeke, too.”

“Wait. How did you two even find out?” Bellamy hadn’t texted them last night and he was fairly certain Clarke hadn’t either.

“My friend Emori. She works down at the police station,” Raven explained. “Said she recognized the name and after doing a little sleuthing, I figured it out pretty quick.”

“Good morning.”

The three Alpha’s jerk to attention at the sight of Clarke entering the kitchen. Her bun has been reset, but still tilts slightly. She’s still in Bellamy’s shirt, but she’s put on a pair of his sweats too.

Bellamy is the first one to her. “Hey, sorry, were we too loud?” He asks softly.

She smiles, shaking her head. “No. I woke up almost right after you got out of bed.”

Bellamy can almost hear the sound of Raven and Octavia’s eyes meeting at the statement. They don’t give Bellamy another second and shove their way between the two, wrapping Clarke in their arms.

The water works start again as the three women embrace.

As they migrate to the living room, Bellamy finishes getting breakfast together.

\------

Clarke falls asleep on the couch, head in Octavia’s lap and Raven meets Bellamy back in the kitchen. Most of the mess from breakfast is cleaned up now that they’ve all ate; Bellamy brought the girls each a plate of what Raven and Octavia had cooked up and they ate it on the couch as Clarke told them again what had happened.

“Zeke is picking up Lincoln and coming by to get O and me before we head back to Finn’s,” Raven tells him, sliding up onto the counter next to the sink.

Putting the last plate in the dishwasher, Bellamy nods. “Good. I don’t want either of you there alone, just in case.”

She cocks a brow at him, reaching up to straighten the ponytail on her head. “Not coming with us?”

His eyes shift to the living room where he can see Octavia’s head over the couch. “I can’t leave her alone.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Raven.”

She shrugs. “Just a question.”

“A question you know the answer to.”

Her smile is one of triumph. “Yeah, I know.” She presses her palms onto the surface beneath her. “Clarke said you’re gonna let her stay here with you. O and I both offered her places with us, but she said she’d feel better here.”

Bellamy swallows and tries to ignore the jump in his chest. “I have more room here. Plus, she basically grew up here. It’s familiar.”

She huffs. “That isn’t the reason.”

He finally looks at her and sighs. “Raven, I can’t have this conversation now. I need her to feel safe here. I’m not going to make a move so soon after she’s been through something like this.”

“Alright, that’s fair. I’m sorry for bringing it up.” Her phone pings and she glances at the text to see its Zeke. She slides off the counter. “But there’s something you should keep in mind.”

He crosses his arms and looks at her.

“Zeke and I live two streets over from Finn’s place. Octavia’s a five minute drive from there as well.” Her hands land on her hips. “You were the furthest option, you guys had just had a _fight_....but she still called _you_.” Her shoulders rise and fall in a shrug as she didn’t just drop a bomb into his lap.

Unable to think of anything else to say, Bellamy watches Raven move back into the living room to collect Octavia before leaving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitely meant to have more in this chapter, but it was getting pretty long so it looks like there's definitely two more chapters left!


	7. Mother Knows Best

A month passes and Clarke continues to stay with Bellamy.

Raven and Octavia were able to get all of her things out of Finn’s place, so now it all sits haphazardly around Bellamy’s house.

Not that he minds it being there. He just wishes Clarke would find places for it all. But, he supposes that would mean she was intending to stay. And they haven’t quite had that talk yet.

Breathing out through his nose, Bellamy pulls Clarke’s sleeping frame back into his chest. They’ve spent every night together since she left Finn’s.

Nothing more than cuddling has happened, but Bellamy can smell the arousal that pools between Clarke’s legs when they curl into each other. And though his inner Alpha demands a claim, Bellamy hasn’t made any inappropriate moves.

The Omega shifts slightly and Bellamy loosens his grip, giving her enough space so that she can turn around and look at him.

He takes a moment to appreciate the sleepy look in Clarke’s eyes. The blue shining back at him is always lighter in the morning, he’s noticed. But only for a few minutes before it darkens to an azure color.

“Hey,” she says softly, blinking slowly. She begins to stretch in his grasp, legs moving down the bed and lengthening for a moment as she yawns.

“Hi there,” he returns, lopsided smile on his lips.

They’re both silent, simply enjoying the calmness around them. They haven’t been able to spend too much time together despite living under the same roof, so moments like these are ones to cherish.

“Clarke, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

She tilts her head into the pillow, “What’s up?” Her expression is calm, but her heart is hammering around inside her chest. She knew that her and Bellamy would have to talk about everything soon, but she’d hoped to spend just a little while longer in this little bubble they’d created.

“I’m fine with-”

Her eyes shifted passed him for a brief moment, catching the red numbers on the clock behind him. “Shit!” She cursed, rolling out of his arms and away from him. “Goddammit!” Tumbling out of bed, the blonde moved quickly to the closet and pulled out a quick, easy outfit. “I’m so sorry, Bellamy. I forgot I have brunch planned with my mother. We’re supposed to meet in fifteen.”

Lopsided grin still in place, he sits himself up against the headboard and watches Clarke jump around the room as she pulls on her jeans. It’s a good sight.

“Oh right, you mentioned that.” He chuckles as she falls over pulling on a sock. “You good?”

“I’m fine!” She calls from the other side of the bed, popping back up with a smile. “But for real, I’m so sorry. This shouldn’t take more than a few hours. She just wanted to talk to me about, well, you know.” A month later and she still doesn’t like to really talk about it. “But as soon as I’m home, we can talk about whatever you want, okay?”

He nods, still watching her with amusement. “Sounds good. Tell Abby I said hi.”

Grabbing her purse, Clarke throws it over her shoulder and runs a hand through her messy waves. “I will! See you in a few!”

He watches her dash out of the room and calls after her, “You didn’t brush your teeth!”

“There’s no time! Sacrifices must be made!”

——-

She’s almost ten minutes late when she finally settles into the chair across from Abby. “Sorry, mom,” she says quietly, hoping to avoid a lecture. “I woke up late.”

Abby smiles, “That’s okay. I know things have been rough lately.”

The words give Clarke only a few seconds of relief, but it quickly turns to dread when she realizes her mother is going to waste no time getting straight to the point.

“Have you ordered yet?” Clarke asked, grabbing the menu to scan it over. She’s been to the cafe a hundred times. She knows the menu by heart. Still, she scans the two familiar pages as if they’re brand new.

“I ordered us both a black coffee, but other than that, I wanted to wait.”

Clarke gives her a smile. “Thanks.” She turns her attention back to the menu. Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, she fights to ignore the feel of her mother’s eyes watching her. “I haven’t had a scone from here in so long. Maybe I’ll get one of those,” she muses aloud.

Abby hums her approval, tapping her pointer finger on the table. “That could be good.”

“Or maybe a muffin. I’ve always been a fan of their muffins.”

“Hmm.”

Licking her lips, Clarke sets the menu down as the waitress arrives to take their order. Clarke gets a blueberry scone and a side of honey. Abby gets a breakfast sandwich.

“So, let’s talk.”

Sitting up a little straighter, Clarke does her best not to fidget. The truth is, she doesn’t want to have this talk with Abby.

Abby had never been a big fan of Finn. She’d never outwardly said as much, but the tight press of her lips when the young man was around had never been a hard thing to read.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Don’t play dumb, Clarke. It doesn’t work.”

Clarke huffs out her nose, shoulders falling as she loses the the strength to pretend she’s fine. “I just…don’t know where to start. And I don’t want you to be ashamed or embarrassed of me.” She can’t meet her mother’s gaze, instead focusing on her own thumbs. The most interesting of digits, in her opinion.

“Clarke,” Abby begins, reaching across the table to take both of her daughter’s hands. Her own thumbs rubbing lovingly at the back of her only child’s hands. “I could never be ashamed or embarrassed of you,” she says softly. “Well, there was that one time you and your father decided to go skinny dipping in the pool when you were probably three. We didn’t even have the backyard fence up. The neighbors laughed for days.” She smiles, wrinkles showing around her eyes. “But I blame your father for that more than you.”

Though Clarke can’t quite remember it herself, she can remember her parents talking about the memory before.

It’s enough to make her smile and she intertwines her fingers with Abby’s. She takes a deep breath in, steadying herself. Though it’s hard, Clarke walks her through everything that happened that night; from the argument with Bellamy (though she leaves out the details) to going back to his house after the Finn situation.

“I’ve always liked Bellamy.”

“Yeah, he’s pretty great.”

Their food arrives and they pause their conversation, hands pulling apart to dig into their meals. It’s nice, Clarke realizes as she swallows her second bite. It had been quite some time since she’d sat down with her mom to really just talk.

She makes a mental note to schedule things like this more often. After she’d lost her father, she’d almost lost Abby to drugs soon after. She needed to remember that and be thankful the worst thing to happen had been arguments and a few storm outs.

Licking a bit of jelly off her lips, Abby wipes crumbs from her fingers on her napkin. “You know, I always thought you and Bellamy would become something.”

Clarke coughs mid-swallow, sending crumbs onto the table. “Sorry,” she mumbles, reaching for her napkin to wipe her mouth. She takes a drink of the water next to her coffee as well.

Across the table, Abby’s eyes sparkle with amusement. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I just meant, you two were always so close. At first, it worried me - him being four years older and all. But Bellamy has more than proved to be a good man. I just always assumed you two would develop feelings for one another.”

For a moment, Clarke is silent. “Well, you were right to assume that.” Her words are barely above a whisper.

Abby doesn’t respond, but the look on her face is more than telling.

“That’s what we argued about that night.” She shrugs, resting an elbow on the table. “He was mad because I had just told them I had wanted to mate with Finn. He said it really stupidly, but Bellamy, in a roundabout away, expressed he felt something for me.” What exactly that ‘something’ was, they hadn’t discussed.

“Clarke, you know that boy loves you.”

She rolls her eyes. “Mom, he’s hardly a boy anymore. Bellamy is thirty.”

“A thirty year-old that’s completely in love with you,” Abby corrects.

“I don’t know about that. I mean, it could have just as easily have been Alpha-Omega hormone interactions. It happens, we both know how volatile things can be.”

“Did an other Alpha’s in the room respond similarly to your declaration?” Abby’s elbows rest on the table, hands clasping as her chin rests on her fingers.

Pausing for a moment, Clarke tried to think. “No.” Her eyebrows furrowed. “No, I think Octavia and Raven both just left.”

Abby shrugs, leaning back. “Well, I think that just about settles that.” She finishes off her coffee, shaking her head when the waiter comes by to offer her more. “I’m not going to tell you to live your life, Clarke.”

Clarke snorts, earning herself a glare.

“I mean it. I just have to ask you something that I don’t know if you’re asking yourself.”

Sitting back in her chair, Clarke eyes the last bite of her scone. “Yes?”

“How do _you_ feel about _Bellamy_?”

——–

The drive home was one Clarke did in complete silence. After Abby’s question, she’d gone silent. Abby hadn’t pushed the subject, had only told Clarke to think on it before paying the bill.

They’d parted ways with a tight hug and a promise to get together for dinner again soon.

Breathing in deeply, Clarke pulls her car into the driveway and parks. It’s become second nature, pulling into Bellamy’s driveway, going in through the front door with her own key. She barely thinks anything of leaving her shoes by the front door, going into the kitchen to grab a water, getting comfortable in this house that’s become her home.

Sliding out of the car, she slowly walks up the steps. The truth is, this isn’t her house. It belongs to Bellamy and she’s just a guest.

The door swings open before she can unlock it and Bellamy looks down at her, seemingly startled to find her there.

“Oh, hey, Clarke,” he chuckles, stepping aside to let her in.

Just seeing him is enough to shake the doubts and concerns she’s had. She finds herself smiling up at him as she kicks out of her shoes and puts them to the side. “Hey yourself. What had you rushing to the door?”

He closes it behind her, setting the lock in place. “I heard a car door close and thought maybe it was FedEx. O is having something sent here as a surprise for Lincoln.”

“Oh right! It’s a new aisle for the craft room she’s making him, right?” She shrugs her purse off as she heads into the kitchen, Bellamy close behind.

“Yeah, I told her she can keep it here until she’s ready to set it up.” He props a hip up against the counter. “So, how’s your mom?”

“Really good. Her and Kane just finalized plans for their vacation in Cuba, so she’s ready for that.”

Bellamy laughs softly. “Kane’s been good for her, hasn’t he?”

Clarke smiles back at him, nodding as she leans against the counter opposite Bellamy. “He has. I don’t like to think about it, but I think that if he hadn’t come along, she would’ve spiraled again.”

“I’m glad she him.”

Their eyes meet for a long moment. “Me too.”

Glancing away then back, Bellamy’s expression turns a little more serious. “Clarke, about this morning…”

She nods towards the living room. “Yeah, let’s talk. I think we both have some things we need to say.”

A nervousness clenches at Bellamy’s stomach but he leads the way to the couch, plopping down at one end. Clarke takes the other.

Neither said anything for a moment, but finally Bellamy spoke up. “I…I have a lot I want to say to you that I should’ve said a while ago.”

“I’m listening.” She turns towards him completely, left leg tucking up under her.

Normally, Bellamy isn’t the nervous type. A few things can make him antsy, but for the most part he’s a solid guy. Now though, his hands tremble ever so slightly. A lone bead of sweat trickles down his spine.

“I…I’m sorry. For the way I spoke to you that night. You apologized, but I never did and I should have. You don’t belong to anyone. You belong to you and being an Omega doesn’t change that.” He runs a hand through messy curls. “I want you. I want you to be mine and mine alone. I want to mate with you and provide for you, protect you. I want a future with you.”

Her mouth opened, but Bellamy continues.

“You’re incredible, Clarke. You’re so fucking smart and you radiate this strength that I envy. You’ve made mistakes, we all have, but at the end of the day, you’re a goddamn incredible woman. The lengths you're willing to go to do what you can for the people you love is...awe-inspiring.” He swallows hard, hands clenching on his thighs. “I want you to stay. Stay here, with me. Make this house our own, make that bedroom _our_ bedroom.” He forces himself to keep her gaze, to see all the emotion in her sparkling blue eyes. “I love you, Clarke Griffin.”

At the other end of the couch, Clarke’s breathing is shaky. Her head feels like its swell in her chest, ready to burst out. She lets out a soft sound between a laugh and a sigh. “Bellamy-” Her hand reaches out to him and he takes it, cutting her off.

“But if you don’t want me, I get it. You can have whoever you want and I swear, I’ll be happy for you. I don’t care about their gender or their second gender. I want you to be happy. That’s all I’ve ever really wanted for you.”

She grips his hand tightly, “Bellamy, shut up. I want _you_. _You_ make me happy.” Her eyes shimmer with tears and she blinks, “I’m sorry it took me so long to figure it out. I’m sorry I made you wait so long for me to get my shit together.”

Bellamy pulls her into him, pressing them together in a fierce hug. “I’d wait a thousand lifetimes for you, Clarke.” His nose presses into her hair, inhaling the familiar scent. The scent of home and cantaloupe.

She pulls from the hug to look up at him, her hands reaching to cup his face. The soft scruff on his jaw rubs against the inside of her palm as she pulls him down into a kiss. It’s gentle, their lips moving against one another as if taking the time to memorize the feeling of their mouths.

When they pull away, Clarke sighs and Bellamy presses their foreheads together. “I love you, Bellamy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your patience with this chapter. I lost some muse there for a bit so I had bits and pieces of this written but didn't want to throw anything half-assed at you all. So thank you for all the kudos and comments, they give me strength! One more chapter!
> 
> Except that last chapter to be a little ~spicy~.


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